Cubs, an all encompassing trip

At The Plate – Runs came early and often in this one as Iowa held a 6-5 lead after five innings, they added an insurance run, which they would need en route to a 7-6 victory of Oklahoma City. Solid offensive day for Iowa as eight of the nine guys in the starting lineup had at least one hit and the Cubs were 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Logan Watkins was solid out of the leadoff spot going 2-for-5 with a double, and two RBI’s. Brad Nelson had a huge day going 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. All Junior Lake has done since coming back from injury is hit, he was 1-for-5 with his fifth double of the season, and two runs scored. Ian Stewart has found some magic at the plate as of late, he was 1-for-3 in this one with a double, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Yoanner Negrin is still getting stretched out as he makes his transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation; he made his third start of the season last night. Negrin worked five innings giving up five runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out eight, he earned his first win of the season. Casey Coleman continued his brilliance of the pen as he worked three scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two. Brian Schlitter worked a rocky ninth as he gave up one run on two hits while striking out one to earn his second save of the season.

At The Plate– Tough loss for Tennessee as they let a 3-0 lead get away in the sixth inning, and wound up losing 4-3 in walk off fashion in the ninth. Arismendy Alcantara continued his stellar 2013 as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .290 on the season. Christian Villanueva also was 2-for-4 with a run scored, unfortunately the Smokies could do nothing with runners in scoring position going 1-for-8. Rafael Lopez had a solid game going 2-for-4 with two doubles, that gives him fourteen on the season, he also had a run scored in the loss.

On The Mound – A.J. Morris got the start for the Smokies and was outstanding going 5.1 innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out four. Zach Rosscup is usually reliable, he was knocked around however as he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one. Trey McNutt is starting to turn things around, he was solid going 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit and striking out two. Kevin Rhoderick continued to struggle and got the loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one.

At The Plate – Javier Baez, that’s all you need to know. These types of games don’t come around too often, in fact what Baez did was only the second time that it has been done in the 94 year history of the Florida State League. Baez was 4-for-4 with FOUR home runs (FOUR!), seven RBI’s (SEVEN), and four runs scored, have a day, kid. The huge night makes Baez’s numbers for the season look that much better, he’s hitting .291 with thirteen homers, and forty-four RBI’s, in a pitchers league. Wow.

On The Mound – Rough go of it for Zach Cates, but he did give Daytona some innings, and picked up his sixth win of the season. Cates worked six innings giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while striking out six. Luis Liria was knocked around out of the pen as he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking three (Not Good), and striking out two. Larry Suarez was tremendous out of the pen going 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one. Frank Del Valle worked the final two-thirds of an inning to pick up his fourth save of the year, he walked one and struck out two in the process.

At The Plate- Nothing going right for Kane County lately, and last night was no exception as they fell to Cedar Rapids 6-2. The Cougars could only manage two runs on six hits, but did walk four times, unfortunately they were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Albert Almora was 1-for-4 in the loss with his seventh double of the season, he is now hitting .423 for the year. Rock Shoulders found some hits last night, he was 2-for-4 with his twelfth double of the season, and a run scored. Oliver Zapata was 2-for-3 with a run scored, he now has his average up to .270 on the season.

On The Mound- Pierce Johnson got the start and had one of his worst outings of 2013 as he suffered his fifth loss of the season. Johnson worked 4.2 innings giving up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four. Lendy Castillo took over and did a solid job of keeping the Cougars in it, he worked 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while striking out four.

At The Plate – Iowa had plenty of opportunities in this one but finished the night 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and on the wrong end of a 3-1 final. Brent Lillibridge was 3-for-5 out of the leadoff spot with three singles in the loss. Welcome back Junior Lake, since returning from the injury Lake has been on fire, he was 2-for-3 in this one with a walk, a double, and an RBI, he’s hitting .429 on the season.

On The Mound– Chris Rusin was brilliant in this one and still wound up with his sixth loss of the season, he has a 3.67 ERA, doesn’t seem right to be 4-6. Rusin worked eight strong innings giving up two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out seven. Brian Schlitter worked one inning out of the pen giving up one run on two hits while striking out one, he now has a 1.35 ERA on the season.

At The Plate – Tennessee was never really in this one as they fell behind 4-0 by the fourth inning and could only manage one run on eight hits in the loss. Matt Szczur continued his solid season going 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, all three hits were singles, Szczur is now hitting .296 on the season. Jonathan Mota was 2-for-4 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored in the loss.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk, who has been pitching for Daytona all year was promoted to Tennessee and made his debut tonight, it was a rough one. Kirk worked six innings giving up six runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out four, he took the loss. Tony Zych was solid out of the pen working one scoreless inning giving up one hit while striking out one. Hunter Cervenka is starting to settle down for Tennessee, he has struggled since his promotion but was solid in this one working one scoreless inning while striking out two.

At The Plate – The Daytona Cubs fought back in the eighth and ninth but came up just one run short, losing 7-6 to Brevard County. Tim Saunders who has struggled this year had a solid game going 2-for-4 with three RBI’s in the loss. Javier Baez continues to improve at the plate; he was 2-for-5 with a run scored and is now hitting .281 on the season. Zeke DeVoss had an outstanding game going 3-for-3 with three singles, three stolen bases, and three runs scored (THREE). Wes Darvill was 2-for-4 out of the ninth spot with an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Matt Loosen struggled at Tennessee so he was demoted to Daytona and made his 2013 debut tonight, it didn’t go so well. Loosen struggled working five innings giving up six runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out four, he took the loss. Jeffrey Lorick worked two innings giving up one run on two hits out of the pen. Austin Reed was solid going two scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out one.

At The Plate – Kane County was able to push across a run in the seventh inning to break a 2-2 deadlock and eventually beat Burlington 3-2. Jeimer Candelario continues to have a strong 2013, he was 1-for-4 with his second home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Bijan Rademacher continues to hit, he was 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .324 on the season. Carlos Escobar had a solid night going 2-for-4 with his first triple of the season, and two huge RBI’s.

On The Mound – Tayler Scott, the newly named all-star showed why he belonged on that roster tonight as he was outstanding. Scott worked seven innings giving up two runs, on earned, on eight hits while walking three, he didn’t strike out anybody, how odd is that? Steve Perakslis was solid out of the pen as he worked two scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking two and striking out two.

At The Plate – The Cougars had the bats working in this one, and they needed them as the Bee’s put the pressure on all game but Kane County was able to hang on for an 8-6 victory. Oliver Zapata did some damage from the lead-off spot going 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Dan Vogelbach had a huge game going 2-for-3 with his ninth home run of the season, two RBI’s, two walks (CUBS WAY!), a double, and three runs scored. Jeimer Candelario, and Rock Shoulders each had two hits and an RBI in the win. Reggie Golden is back, and healthy, that’s the most important thing, but he’s also hitting, he went 3-for-4 with two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .368 on the season.

On The Mound- Pierce Johnson got the start in this one and didn’t get much help from his defense, but was able to pick up his fourth win of the season. Johnson worked five innings giving up four runs, two earned, on five hits while walking two and striking out five. Eddie Orozco worked two innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out two. Felix Pena was outstanding going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out three.

NOTES: Smokies were rained out, Daytona was rained out, and Iowa was off.

At The Plate – After four innings the Cubs didn’t have much going, then they erupted for ten runs over the final four innings en route to a 10-2 victory. Logan Watkins had an outstanding game at the top of the order going 3-for-5 with three singles and two runs scored. Brian Bogusevic continues to pad his stats as he was 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, a walk, three RBI’s, and two runs scored. Steve Clevenger is on the comeback trail, he was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, he’s hitting .429 since returning from that horrible oblique injury. Brad Nelson had a productive day going 2-for-4 with his eighth home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored. Ian Stewart is still alive, and was decent in this one going 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Brooks Raley got the start, and I’m not 100% certain but I think Raley had to leave early in this one as he only threw fifty-one pitches. Raley worked 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out two. Casey Coleman continues to do tremendous work out of the pen; he worked 3.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two to earn his first win of the season. Marcus Hatley scuffled a bit, and has since his promotion to Iowa; he worked one inning giving up one run on two hits. Alex Burnett, who cleared waivers and was optioned to Iowa got some work in today, he went one scoreless inning giving up one hit.

At the Plate– Not a lot of offense in this one from the D-Cubs but it was enough as they squeaked out a 1-0 victory over Bradenton. John Andreoli was 2-for-4 with two singles, and his sixteenth stolen base of the season. Tim Saunders was 2-for-4; he also had two singles, but had a caught stealing in this one. The only RBI of the game came from Jorge Soler; he finished the day 0-for-2 with said RBI on a sacrifice fly.

On The Mound – Ben Wells was outstanding to start things off for Daytona; he improved his record to 4-4 on the season with the win. Wells worked five scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking three and striking out four. Frank Del Valle was just as good out of the pen and earned the rare four inning save in a one run game. Del Valle worked four scoreless innings giving up four hits while striking out four.

At The Plate – The Smokies looked like they had control of this one with an early 4-1 lead but had to battle back from a 6-4 deficit which they did; as they scored four runs unanswered to beat Jackson 8-6. The Smokies were dangerous all night as they pounded out fifteen hits while scoring eight runs; they were 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Matt Szczur is red hot, he was 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI’s, a stolen base, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .292 on the season. Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Arismendy Alcantara was 3-for-5 with two doubles, and an RBI, he’s now hitting .290 on the season. Ty Wright also had a solid game going 2-for-5 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored. Chad Noble had a monster game going 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the win.

On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo was roughed up in this one but was still able to give the Smokies some valuable innings. Castillo worked six innings giving up six runs on six hits while walking three and striking out four. Hunter Cervenka was outstanding out of the pen, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two, he picked up his first AA win of the season. Frank Batista was solid as usual in picking up his eighth save of the season. Batista worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit; he lowered his ERA to 1.78 on the season.

At The Plate – After a stretch of some really solid baseball, and wins, the Iowa Cubs have found themselves struggling again. Iowa couldn’t really put anything together in this one; sure they scored three runs on eight hits but were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Dave Sappelt had a solid day going 2-for-4 with his first stolen base, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .276 at Iowa. Brent Lillibridge accounted for part of the offense; he was 1-for-4 with his fifth double of the season, and an RBI in the loss.

On The Mound – Chris Rusin was knocked around a bit in this one, but still managed to get deep into the game, unfortunately he was still hung with his fifth loss of the season. Rusin worked seven innings giving up five runs on twelve hits while striking out four. Michael Bowden was solid, as he was with the big league club for the most part, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out three. Casey Coleman worked just one-third of an inning in this one, and did it in a scoreless fashion.

At The Plate– Thanks to the weather Daytona only needed seven innings to take care of Brevard County 5-0. The top Cubs prospects are really starting to heat up at the plate; Javier Baez is one of those guys. After a monster day on Saturday Baez had a solid Sunday, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored and is now hitting .281 on the season. Ben Carhart had a solid game as well going 2-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored. Jorge Soler was 1-for-4 with two RBI’s, that gives him thirty on the season, and he is now hitting .294 for the year.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk was all that Daytona needed as he went the distance for a “complete game” victory to improve his record to 6-2 on the season. Kirk worked six scoreless innings giving up five hits while walking three and striking out seven, he lowered his ERA to 4.50 in the victory.

At The Plate – Really nice win for the Cougars who have been struggling as of late, they needed extra innings but they got the job done. Big day from the big names in the Kane County order as the two through four hitters were a combined 8-for-13 with two doubles, a home run, and one RBI. Albert Almora looks to be back to 100% health as he was 3-for-4 with a double, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .475 on the season. Dan Vogelbach had a productive day going 2-for-4 with a double, his eight home run of the season (VIDEO), a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Jeimer Canderlario is really coming around as of late, he was 3-for-5 with three singles, he’s now hitting .259 on the season.

On the Mound – The Cougars pitching was outstanding in this one as they shut down a very good Cedar Rapids lineup. Michael Heesch got the start and did not factor in the decision, but was solid and kept Kane County in it. Heesch worked six innings giving up two runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four. Steve Perakslis was brilliant out of the bullpen going three scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out three. Eddie Orozco worked a scoreless tenth inning to earn his third win of the season as the Cougars walked off in the bottom half.

At The Plate – Rough one for the Iowa Cubs as they built a 6-1 lead by the third inning and ended up losing 7-6 in thirteen innings, what’s worse is they gave up two runs in the ninth to let a win get away. Brett Jackson was 1-for-5 with a walk, third home run of the season, an RBI, and two runs scored. Brent Lillibridge had a great game going 4-for-6 with his fourth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Ian Stewart played! He also had a decent day going 1-for-3 with his fifth double of the season, and two RBI’s.

On The Mound – Weird night for the Iowa pitching as they missed a lot of bats, and found a lot of them too. Guillermo Moscoso was beat up but did alright I guess, he worked 5.2 innings giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking two and striking out ten (see?). Hisanori Takahashi worked two-thirds of an inning, he walking one and struck out one. Casey Coleman is quietly settling in at Iowa, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out two. Eduardo Sanchez is officially a Cub, he worked the ninth inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one to register the blown save. Marcus Hatley was recently promoted to Iowa from Tennessee and had his best outing tonight; he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out three. Jeffry Antigua suffered the loss in this one but didn’t pitch poorly, he worked two innings giving up one run on three hits while walking one and striking out four.

At The Plate – The Smokies got knocked around pretty good in this one as the Barons built a 5-0 lead en route to cruising to a 9-3 victory. Matt Szczur did his thing at the top of the lineup going 1-for-2 with three walks (CUBS WAY!), and his fourteenth stolen base of the season. Arismendy Alcantara, or as I like to call him “Scoresheet” was 1-for-3 with a walk, his ninth home run of the season, and two runs scored. Christian Villanueva provided some pop in this one as well going 1-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound– Aside from Matt Loosen the Smokies pitching wasn’t half bad, unfortunately Loosen started this one. Loosen took his second loss of the season after going 5.1 innings giving up eight runs, four earned, on six hits while walking four and striking out three. Frank Batista was solid out of the pen going 1.2 scoreless innings giving up three hits while striking out one. Trey McNutt worked an inning giving up one run on two hits while walking one, if McNutt can harness his stuff and cut down on the walks his ERA will dwindle as well.

At The Plate – Offensive explosion time for Daytona as they pounded out twenty hits, and scored fourteen runs beating Brevard County 14-5. This might be the longest “at the plate” recap that I write all year, and really, I’m okay with that. Ben Carhart was fantastic today, going 3-for-6 with two doubles giving him fourteen on the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Javier Baez won the night, end of discussion, that’s it; he was 5-for-6 with three doubles, his ninth home run of the season, SIX RBI’s (ZOMG!), and three runs scored, wow. Jorge Soler also had a solid night going 2-for-5 with his eighth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Dustin Geiger was slugging as well going 2-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Chadd Krist was also productive in this one going 2-for-3 with his sixth double of the season, and three RBI’s. Wes Darvill and Taylor Davis contributed as well, with Darvill having three hits, and Davis adding two.

On The Mound – P.J. Francescon found some of his 2012 magic in this one, helps having a ginormous lead, but it was nice to see him have a nice outing. He worked six innings giving up one run on five hits while striking out six, with no walks (that’s important). Austin Reed was roughed up a bit out of the pen as he worked two innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out three. Sheldon McDonald closed the door in this one, he worked one inning giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out one.

At The Plate – Nightmarish night for the floundering Cougars as they were obliterated by the Kernels 15-2, yes, a team named after corn scored fifteen runs tonight (they are good, I know). Nice to see Albert Almora in the lineup and healthy after a hamstring scare, he was 2-for-4 with a run scored; he’s now hitting .444 on the season. Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-4 with two singles, kind of shocked that he didn’t hit any doubles in this one. The Cougars could only manage seven hits and two runs tonight as their entire lineup is struggling at the same time, which usually results in losses.

On The Mound – Taylor Scott isn’t used to being roughed up, but he didn’t have it tonight. Scott suffered his second loss of the season as he worked four innings giving up seven runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four. Ian Dickson wasn’t much better, he worked three innings giving up five runs on four hits while walking five (NO!), and striking out two. Nathan Dorris was solid in this one, working one scoreless inning giving up one hit; his ERA is now 2.78 on the season. David Bote, the second baseman, worked the ninth inning and well, looked like a second baseman pitching. Bote gave up three runs on three hits while walking two in his inning of work.

At The Plate– The Iowa Cubs fell behind quickly in this one, trailing 4-0 after two innings; they were able to cut the deficit to one by the fifth but couldn’t get any closer losing 4-3. The Cubs left too many opportunities slip away as they were only 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Brian Bogusevic was 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored, his 2013 has been spectacular, he’s now hitting .358 on the season. Dave Sappelt was one of the few productive Cubs in this one, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Brad Nelson and Logan Watkins were the only other Cubs to records RBI’s in the loss.

On The Mound – After a bumpy first two innings Nick Struck was able to settle down, he worked five innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out three. Struck has struggled this year, his record fell to 3-4 on the season, while his 6.07 ERA is also underwhelming. Casey Coleman took over and was brilliant, he worked three scoreless, hit-less, innings while walking two and striking out two, he definitely kept the Cubs in this one and gave them a chance to come back.

At The Plate – The Annual Rickwood Classic didn’t go the way the Smokies were hoping as they fell to Birmingham 6-3. Arismendy Alcantara had a solid game going 3-for-4 with his first triple of the year, but also made a costly error, his eighteenth of the season. Christian Villanueva has been on a steady upswing as of late, and it continued today as he was 1-for-4 with his seventeenth double of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Lance Rymel made a successful double A debut going 1-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI in the loss.

On The Mound – Yeiper Castillo is still adjusting to the jump in levels as he struggled again in his second start with Tennessee. Castillo worked 3.2 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on five hits while walking two and striking out four. A.J. Morris was solid in relief; he worked 3.1 innings giving up one run on three hits while striking out five. Trey McNutt had a solid performance as he continues to lower his ERA; he worked one scoreless inning while striking out one, lowering his ERA to 4.98 on the season.

At The Plate – The Daytona Cubs couldn’t get much offense going in this one but they didn’t need it as pitching carried them to a 3-0 victory. Zeke DeVoss had a solid day from the leadoff spot going 2-for-4 with two singles, and a run scored. John Andreoli continues to hit, he was 2-for-3 with his sixth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .317 on the season. Dustin Geiger was 1-for-3 with an RBI, his forty-third of the season, and he is hitting .311 as well, quite the year so far.

On The Mound –Daytona won this game on the mound, and they only needed two arms to do it. Zach Cates got the start and was outstanding for his fifth win of the season, he worked six scoreless innings giving up five hits while walking one and striking out five. Yao-Lin Wang was brilliant out of the pen, he worked three scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season giving up one hit while walking one and striking out five.

At The Plate– Kane County continues to struggle without Albert Almora as they could only generate one run on five hits in a 2-1 defeat. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two singles, and a run scored in the loss. Carlos Escobar was 2-for-4, both singles, and an RBI, and that was it for the Cougars as the only other hit came from Oliver Zapata, also a single.

On The Mound – Pierce Johnson might be filing a complaint for lack of run support soon; he was tagged with the loss in this one making his record 3-4 on the season despite a sparkling 2.89 ERA. Johnson was solid going 5.2 innings giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out seven. Justin Amlung got into trouble, but was able to pitch out of it for the most part; he worked 2.1 innings giving up one run on four hits while striking out two.

At The Plate – The Iowa Cubs are on to something as they continue to play some solid baseball, and more importantly get wins. Brett Jackson had a solid game going 1-for-3 with a walk, his fourth stolen base of the season, and a run scored. Donnie Murphy is putting together a solid season, he went 2-for-4 with his fourth double of the year, and a run scored. Edwin Maysonet was 1-for-3 with his fifth home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored. Brent Lillibridge has found his power at triple A, I didn’t think he could ever hit a home run, but he was 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Chris Rusin was absolutely brilliant and has really found a groove as of late, he earned his fourth win and lowered his ERA to 3.55 on the season. Rusin worked eight strong innings giving up one run on six hits while striking out eight, and no walks, outstanding. Eduardo Sanchez worked the final inning giving up one run on three hits while striking out one.

At The Plate – Really good game between two solid teams, and it ended with the Smokies hanging on for a 3-2 victory. Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-4 with his eighth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Christian Villanueva padded his slugging numbers in this one, he was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a run scored. Anthony Giansanti was 1-for-4 with a run scored, and two huge outfield assists in the win.

On The Mound – Kyle Hendricks was solid yet again, and is turning into the ace of the Smokies staff. Hendricks went 6.2 innings giving up two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out six, he improved his record to 5-2 with the win, and lowered his ERA to 2.47 on the season. Kevin Rhoderick continued to struggle with his command, but was able to pitch around it, working one scoreless inning while walking two. Frank Batista was solid again in picking up his seventh save of the year; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit.

At The Plate –Outstanding comeback win for Daytona as they scored once in the bottom of the ninth to tie it, then walked off in the eleventh. John Andreoli continues to have a solid 2013, he was 2-for-6 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .312 on the season. Javier Baez was the hero last night, he went 2-for-6 with a game winning, walk-off homer in the eleventh, his seventh of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Ben Carhart had a solid game going 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the win.

On The Mound – Austin Kirk struggled a bit with his command but was still able to work around most of the trouble, he went five innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out three. Austin Reed was okay out of the pen working two innings giving up one run on two hits while walking one. Eduardo Figueroa, Larry Suarez, and Frank Del Valle were solid the rest of the way, shutting down the Yankees over the final four innings. Del Valle worked the final two innings to get the win, his third of the season.

At The Plate – Tough luck for the Cougars as their rally was cut short by Mother Nature, they scored three times in the fifth to make it 7-5 then the skies opened up and the game was called after five and a half innings. Pin-Chieh Chen was 1-for-3 with his second triple of the season, and two RBI’s in the loss. Gioskar Amaya had a solid game going 1-for-1 with two walks (Cubs Way!), a double, and a run scored. Dan Vogelbach had a productive day going 1-for-3 with his seventh home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Dillon Maples has been having a rough go of it since returning from injury, last night the walks got him into big trouble. Maples worked three innings giving up seven runs on four hits while walking five (see?), and striking out five. Lendy Castillo took over and was solid, going two scoreless innings giving up one hit while walking one and striking out two.

At The Plate – The RedHawks scored in one inning in this one, unfortunately that was enough to defeat Iowa. The RedHawks scored four times in the third inning, and the Cubs could never get even despite scoring one run in the fourth, fifth, and sixth inning. Brian Bogusevic had another great day going 1-for-2 with two walks, his thirteenth double of the season, and two runs scored. Brent Lillibridge was the only other offense in this one as he was 1-for-4 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Walks were contagious in this one, and it started with Guillermo Moscoso who lost his command and was slapped with his second loss of the season. Moscoso worked five innings giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits while walking four (see?), and striking out six. Hisanori Takahashi also struggled with command but worked out of trouble, he worked two scoreless innings while walking three (see?), and striking out one. Brian Schlitter, who has been outstanding for the Tennessee Smokies was promoted to Iowa earlier in the day, and had a tremendous debut. Schlitter worked two scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out three.

At The Plate– The Cougars had to battle back in this one as they trailed 4-3 in the eight, and battle they did, scoring five times in the bottom of the eight en route to an 8-4 victory. The only bad news is that Albert Almora had to leave today’s game after it looked like he suffered a leg injury, hopefully it’s nothing serious. Pin-Chieh Chen was solid again from the leadoff spot going 1-for-4 with a walk, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Dan Vogelbach had a huge day going 3-for-5 with his sixth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored. Jeimer Candelario resembles Garrett Anderson up there right now, we should start calling him doctor doubles, he was 1-for-4 with his seventeenth double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound– Michael Heesch was solid in this one, but settled for a no decision. Heesch worked six innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out four. Steve Perakslis was outstanding in relief and was rewarded with his first win of the season. Perakslis worked three innings giving up one run, unearned, on one hit while walking one and striking out three.

At The Plate – The Smokies had the bats working in this one as they pounded out eleven hits and scored eight times en route to an 8-6 victory. Matt Szczur was solid at the top of the order going 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored. Ronald Torreyes was 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season, three RBI’s, and a run scored. Ty Wright had a solid game going 2-for-4 with his seventh double of the season, and two runs scored. Chad Noble was 2-for-3 with a walk, his first double of the season, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Matt Loosen got the start and had one of his better outings but did not factor in the decision. Loosen worked six innings giving up four runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out two. Hunter Cervenka made his first appearance with Tennessee after being promoted from Daytona, and it didn’t go well, he worked one inning giving up two runs on two hits while walking one. Tony Zych was solid out of the pen and was rewarded with his first win of the season; he worked two scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out one.

At The Plate – Iowa is on a roll, they have now won four games in a row, and seven of their last eight. The Cubs could only manage four hits, and two runs but it was enough for the victory over Oklahoma City. Brian Bogusevic, and Brent Lillibridge each had one hit, and one stolen base in the victory, both hits were singles. It was the Edwin Maysonet show offensively for the Cubs, he was 2-for-2 with his fourth home run of the season, an RBI, a double, and two runs scored.

On The Mound – Barret Loux finally got things in order and was outstanding to earn his third win of the season. Loux went six strong innings giving up one run on three hits while walking three and striking out six. Blake Parker was solid as usual to close this one out; he worked one scoreless inning while striking out one to earn his seventh save of the season.

At The Plate – Make that five wins in a row for Iowa, and eight wins in their last nine games as they finished off an impressive double-header sweep over a good RedHawks team. The Cubs struck for three runs in the first inning and that lead held up until the sixth inning when Oklahoma City tied things up, but the Cubs bounced right back in the bottom half to win it 4-3. Logan Watkins was 1-for-3 with his fifth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Brian Bogusevic, Brett Jackson, and Brad Nelson each had one hit in the victory, Bogusevic and Jackson also had a stolen base. Donnie Murphy was 1-for-2 with his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Yoanner Negrin got the start in this one, he normally does most of his work out of the pen, but he was solid. Negrin worked 4.1 innings giving up two runs on two hits while walking three and striking out five. Marcus Hatley worked 1.2 innings giving up one run on one hit while walking one and striking out two, which was good enough to give Hatley his first win of the season. Zach Putnam worked a scoreless seventh inning to pick up his fourth save of the season.

At The Plate – The Smokies pounded out ten hits and five runs en route to a 5-2 victory over Huntsville on Sunday Night. Matt Szczur was 2-for-4 with his ninth double of the season, an RBI, and a run scored. Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with his ninth double of the season in the win. Tim Torres is having a solid 2013, he was 1-for-3 with his second home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Arismendy Alcantara continues to hit, he was 1-for-3 with a walk (that’s great to see from him), and he made his seventeenth error of the season.

On The Mound – Eric Jokisch is putting together quite the solid season; he was good again in this one as he picked up his fourth win of the season. Jokisch worked 5.2 innings giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out six, he lowered his ERA to 3.44 on the season. Trey McNutt bounced back with a solid performance out of the pen, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out the side. Zach Rosscup was solid as well going 1.1 scoreless innings while walking one and striking out two. Frank Batista worked a scoreless inning as well while striking out one; he has a sparkling 2.14 ERA on the season.

At The Plate – Daytona fell behind 4-0 early and couldn’t ever get back in this one as they fell to Lakeland 5-3. Zeke DeVoss had a solid day from the leadoff spot going 3-for-4 with a walk, all three hits were singles. Javier Baez was 1-for-3, he also made his twenty-third error of the season, he’s now hitting .266 this year. Jorge Soler was 1-for-4 with his seventh home run of the season, two RBI’s, and a run scored. Chadd Krist was 2-for-4 with his fourth double of the season in the loss.

On The Mound– P.J. Francescon got the start in this one, and was roughed up as he suffered his fourth loss of the season. Francescon worked six innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out six. Yao-Lin Wang was solid going 1.2 innings giving up one run on no hits while walking one and striking out two. Jeffrey Lorick was good out of the pen going 1.1 scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one and striking out two.

At The Plate – The Cougars did everything but win this game as they built a 5-2 lead in the fifth inning only to see it disappear in the sixth en route to a 6-5 loss. Pin-Chieh Chen was solid out of the leadoff spot going 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored. Albert Almora continues to hit, he was 2-for-5, which actually lowered his average to .538 on the season. Marco Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two singles, and an RBI in the loss. Gioskar Amaya was 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.

On The Mound – Taylor Scott was roughed up, but really only had two bad innings as he earned a no decision. Scott worked 5.2 innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out two. Eddie Orozco added fuel to the fire in the fateful sixth, he worked 2.1 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out three. Jeffry Antigua was solid going one scoreless inning giving up one hit while striking out one.

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.